magnifying glass

American  

noun

magnifying glasses plural

1. a lens that produces an enlarged image of an object.

---

magnifying glass British  

noun

1. a convex lens used to produce an enlarged image of an object

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• magnifying glasses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of magnifying glass

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

Ternus was on the road at the supplier’s facility, and sometime after midnight he pulled out a magnifying glass to count the circles, finding that the supplier had gotten it wrong, putting in 35 grooves.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Do you really think that foreign governments are at this point, with a magnifying glass, looking at our markets and thinking something might be about to happen?

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

Says Merritt, “You’re going to want to get your magnifying glass to look at some of this stuff.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025

Pattern maker Mar Marcote has been with the business 42 years and still uses a magnifying glass to examine each item of clothing before it finally goes into production.

From BBC • May 8, 2025

Having packed, he combed and trimmed his brown beard, saw that his pencils were in his shirt pocket and his magnifying glass attached to his lapel.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck